Gradings

An Introduction for new students at Kempo Beginner Levels 1 & 2 
 
Like any worthwhile achievement, earning a new sash is an acknowledgement of hard work and dedication.  Each sash represents aseries of small goals and challenges that a student has accomplished. New sashes prove they have succeeded in challenging themselves to be a little bit better every day and have worked a little bit harder in every class.  
 
Kempo training, especially for our beginners, can sometimes be social and teamwork focused, with relays and free fighting and team challenges, but earning a sash is an entirely personal feat that each child can, and should, take credit for and be proud of.  
 
Half sashes help bridge the gap between belts and are an acknowledgment of effort and dedication for our newest tigers.  They also help keep goals at a manageable and age appropriate level and help to keep kids enthusiastic about training.   
 
It can be tough when a young student sees their peers achieve a sash before they do, but instead of asking - “Why didn’t I get one too?”
 - we need to encourage our children to ask; “What is it I need to be doing to get one too?” Sashes aren’t awarded at a predetermined time, but in recognition of each child’s effort and focus, so naturally children who are in class to improve discipline and concentration may take a bit longer to reach their goals, at least at first.  
 
There is however a rough timeline in place for how quickly students can achieve their sashes with dedication:

• White Sash 
  Complete first month of classes (4 lessons)
• White with Gold tassel 
  Complete first term (10 Lessons)
• Gold Sash
  Complete 2 terms (20 lessons)
• Gold Sash with Orange tassel

          Complete 15 - 20 lessons

Half sashes were introduced firstly because a twenty week minimum is an incredibly long time when you’re five! Even children who love coming to class can struggle to stay motivated for that long.  Secondly there has been a marked improvement in the quality of our orange belt students and above since we started the practice; a little extra time put in on cementing the core basics of Kempo has made all the difference.  
 
The first 3 Gradings between white and gold are FREE, mostly because we understand kids and we understand families.  Not every four or five year old who starts Kempo is going to progress to black belt level and that’s okay. Family commitments, sports and seasons, and financial circumstances can all change so quickly.

After Gold sash we only recommend students who are ready to grade, consultation and reviews are held on a regular basis to ensure your child is ready to test and move up the the next level. Unlike some Martial Arts Schools that charge large grading fees and never fail a student we have kept our Grading fees low and if the student isn't ready they are told what they need to work on and we do our best to coach them toward success.

Children can expect to grade 2-3 times a year on average, those who work hard in and outside of class to improve their skills can jump grades. 

Grading fees after Gold sash are between $49 and $69 with discounts for early payment and families. We offer Grading scholarships to students or families who find it difficult to pay as we believe the child should not be held back due to financial circumstances. We have offered a number of grading and tuition scholarships already this year and keep these private between the instructors and families benefiting from them.

To apply for a Grading or Tuition Scholarship please contact Quintin personally.

quintin@ihug.co.nz

In the past each student was given a formal checklist of stances and forms to follow and the grading was held on a Saturday morning.  Having to bring along these little A5 notebooks made for stodgy classes and was just one more thing in a long list of things to remember every day and a separate grading ate into weekend sports and sleep ins! 
 
Below is a guide to what Sifu and our instructors will be looking for on the way to the gold sash:
 
Gold Sash | Kempo Beginner Level 1

Foundations of Martial Arts

• Why we learn Martial Arts?
• Benefits of practise for mind and body
• Developing self discipline

 
Focus, Concentration & Breathing

• The key to successful learning
• Focus builds awareness of opportunities and threats
• The importance of a strong mind
• Learning to breathe better for energy, more power and dealing with emotions

 
Basic stances and body shifting

• Key postures (Horse riding stance, crane stance, forward bow, tiger)
• Ability to move into a strong position for Self Defence
• Introduction to Posture alignment awareness

 
Break falls & injury prevention

• Learning how to fall correctly whilst protecting the head, neck and spine.
• Basic exercises and warm ups

 
Basic Self-Defence skills

• Ability to block and protect the face and body
• Basic punches, strikes and kicks

 
Health & Safety

• Correct spacing in class
• Awareness of others when practicing
• Entering and leaving the training space.
• Ability to listen and follow instructions

Gold Sash with Orange tassel | Kempo Beginner Level 2 

Focus, Concentration & Breathing

• Learning to hold key Kempo postures for longer periods of time. The horse riding stance challenge will test correct posture alignment, relaxing into the posture and remaining focused and still whilst holding this stance/posture.
• Sinking through your body and developing a still mind
• Learning basic Tai Chi & Qigong breathing exercises such as "breath of the heart" & "White Crane Spreads wings"

Basic stances and body shifting

• Continuing to improve Key Kempo postures (Horse riding stance, crane stance, forward bow, tiger). Developing the "Shape" of each posture takes time, at this stage we encourage students to work from the ground up and check the alignment of key joints and spine.
• Whilst we encourage students to learn how to sink into deeper postures they also need to develop the ability to move quickly from posture to posture whilst moving in circles, advancing, retreating and diagonal stepping.

Break falls & injury prevention

• Having learnt the side break fall students will also learn the face and back break fall. The ability to quickly get back onto their feet into a guard or fighting stance or fight from the ground.

 
At the moment out of class grading is reserved for black sash and junior black sash students but they are possible above orange belt level, depending on the number of students grading at any one time.
 
Children who are motivated in achieving their next belt can ask what they need to work on to get there, our instructors watch students carefully and know what they are looking for at each level and how far each child has progressed.